Why we Love the Sony FX9

At Prism Studios, we have been super impressed with our latest purchase and we thought it was only right to share why we think this camera is so underrated. Without getting too technical, here are our favourite features of the Sony FX9. 

 

There are tons of factors to consider when buying a new full-frame camera such as autofocus, variable neutral density, low-light capabilities, cinetone etc. So it's important to choose a camera which fits your requirements and the type of filming. For us, good versatility is a huge benefit when working with Sony cameras. The FX9 is the follow up to the popular FS7 and is the result of challenging Sony engineers to make a run and gun camera with nothing but a lot of Sony Venice and A9 parts. It's a great camera capable of delivering awe-inspiring footage. There is much to like, or even love, about the camera. Making life easier is the keystone to getting better and better at our chosen craft. When the basics, like focus and cinematic colour, are already present, you can now focus on telling the story a little better. 

 

The FX9 does something no pro video has done before. It has a variable electronic neutral density filter that can be controlled from a hard dial on the side of the camera. Under the hood, the Sony PXW-FX9 has a back-illuminated full-frame 6K Exmor R image sensor that oversamples 6008 x 3168 resolution to create its 4K images capable of full HDR. This means it shoots in 6K then outputs in 4K to capture the most colour range and depth possible. Sony has also added a new colour science called S-Cinetone that's said to have a more accurate colour gamut and skin tones for a better cinematic look. Sometimes when we are moving and filming a fast auto-focus and a stable image is important, we need to be able to rely on the camera to focus on the right subject as if we have manually focused it. The FX9 features a next-generation sensor chipset providing much improved AF with face detection and Eye-AF. Advanced image stabilization information means even handheld footage can be transformed with Sony Catalyst Browse/Catalyst Prepare software in post-production to look as smooth as if it were shot with a gimbal. 

 

Interestingly this camera has been recommended by the Netflix Post Technology Alliance. The Netflix Post Technology Alliance is a program for manufacturers of products that generate or manage any kind of sound data, image data, or metadata from production through post. Products are recommended by the Post Technology Alliance as they have met the Netflix technical and workflow requirements. In other words, this camera produces Netflix documentary quality footage!